Nothing Really Matters
by Machiko Yun
Summary: With a destiny entangled with two others and their choices complicating their existence even more, this is the story of Brooke, her friends, her lover, and how we all were really saved.
1. Prologue

Prologue, Didn't You Know That's Just a Fairy Tale?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_This was an accident  
Not the kind where sirens sound  
Never even noticed  
We're suddenly crumbling _

_(**Show Me Love- Tatu)**_

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"It's been about a year since her death and here we are, visiting the same place we watched her suffer till her last breath. She was his lover and a good friend of mine, we traveled together for a year before the world came crashing down around us. It was hard, but I don't think anyone knew how hard it was on me because it was all my fault...

Atlantica, a place where we always came to relax, it was supposed to be our safe-place, our haven, but it was far from it. A year ago I watched her die here because I let something get out that no one but me and a book were supposed to know. I knew I shouldn't of told him to read it, but I was tired of laughing to find just cause in my tears.

I had fell in love with him even though I knew they were together from the start. But I still stayed, I still protected him with my life. And now I ended the life of the one he loved."

**The Journal of Brooke Nightblaze, book eight.**

Many are familiar with the story of Sora, Riku, and Kairi, but few are aware that it is just a children's story and the truth isn't told out of shame. That shame is in the key-bearer, Brooke and her love for Ryu and death of Trinity. This tale ends sadly and shamefully, but it's the pure truth. The key-bearer was indeed a female and had met Ryu (Riku) out of pure curiosity and later met Trinity (Kairi) out of pity. She had found Ryu after he had been possessed by the Ansem imposter's heartless and had followed him to where she saw Trinity being interrogate and tortured by the heartless and Ansem/ Ryu. That was how it all started. Soon the three were traveling together and sealing these "Keyholes" that Trinity had told them about and everything was going great until one day when Trinity went off with Ariel in Atlantica to talk about a way to have Ariel's father show them where the keyhole was and Brooke and Ryu were left alone.

-Flash back-

We were swimming along, talking about how much fun Atlantica was even on business and if King Triton would allow us to seal the keyhole in Atlantica. I smiled, swimming over to Ryu casually before poking him, yelling "tag", and swimming away as quickly as my legs... er, tail would allow me. "Oh! You're getting it now, Brooke!" He called while swimming after me, I tried to swim faster, but as always he was better and faster than me, caching up easily and tackling me. I mentally melted as soon as his arms wrapped around me even though I had the breath knocked out of me at the same moment. Ryu laughed his mesmerizing laugh and I couldn't help but smile and finally laugh with him, that is until I saw through the tumbling in the water that we were headed straight for a rock. "Ryu, we're going to smash into a rock!" I exclaimed, my eyes wide in fear, but he smiled a wicked, evil smile that I knew from when Ansem possessed him and I started thrashing around, trying to wriggle out of his grasp but Ryu just held me tighter, that horrible smile growing. Our tumbling started slowing down he threw me, making me go faster towards the large rock. If we weren't underwater I would of been crying about right now as I was inches from the rock before two strong arms scooped me up and cradled me, heading for the small patch of land that the ship was on. "Shhh... Brooke, it's OK." A male voice cooed as I tried to focus my eyes on the image. "R-ryu?" I stammered, reaching up and stroking his face in time to feel him nod. "I thought Ansem had possessed you again..." I said in almost a whisper and as my eyes finally were able to focus I saw a prominent frown on his face. "I'm sorry, Brooke, I was just playing around but I guess I took the joke a bit too far." Ryu said, breaking the surface and swimming towards the small patch of land, but somehow, I didn't believe his words. Once getting close to the area where we could stand up he let me down and nodded up towards land, diving underwater. I knew what he meant, he wanted me to go up and into the ship by myself first as when we got onto land the spell Trinity set up turned us into humans, but she goofed and we had no clothes except anything we had on our upper body once we became human again. Trinity and I would always go in, get some clothes on, come out with some for Ryu, leave them on the one palm tree, go back in, and he'd get dressed then come into the ship. I followed the process and after I went in while Ryu should of been changing I grabbed a pen and my journal, scribbling down whatever came to my mind. It ended up being all about Ryu and how much I wished he and I were together instead of him and Trin.

The door opened and I slammed the book shut, looking over to see Ryu. He was quite and walked over to the collapsible table and chairs I had set up to serve as our dinning table in the large living area we were sitting in. My ship wasn't like most as I had built it from hand to act kinda like a RV so it had beds and living space along with your normal cargo area and cock pit. I stared at the wall, clutching my journal to my chest, I had kept this journal for as long as I can remember, and it is now several books long. I wanted to show him so badly, telling myself that all I'd have to do is open the book to the page that I wanted him to read and tell him to read it, it'd be so easy! I battled myself, my mind against my deepest wants and desires and in moments my wants and desires viciously beat down my mind that kept telling me the "smart" thing to do.

I stood up, my hands shaking, flipped the book to the page I wanted him to read and walked over to Ryu, handing him it and stammering out, "P-please read t-this." and without a word or even a glance up at me he began reading. I turned around, my back to Ryu, when my eyes began watering, I just needed to let him know how I felt, that the only reason I stuck around was to help him and only him.

-End flash back-

After that day the three continued their quest to seal all the keyholes, only to have Trinity disappear while stocking up in Traverse Town before heading out to Hallow Bastion. Brooke and Ryu sucessfully sealed the keyhole in Hallow Bastion without Trinity, recieving a message from the girl telling them to meet her at Atlantica. The duo immediantly went to Atlantica, waiting for Trinity to show, when she did it was with Ansem.

-Flash back-

I gasped when Ansem and Trin showed up, she being held tightly by the tyrant by her wrists, dangling painfully in the air. I glanced over at Ryu as he drew his sword, his jaw clentched. "Well, well, look what we have here, the two love birds." Ansem said, mocking mostly me and sending Ryu into a state of fury. "I have no feelings for her!" He yelled, and after thoes words left Ryu's mouth my mind froze, not reacting to anything. The rest of the scene I saw, I remeber, but I never comprehended at the time. Ansem laughed as he ran the tip of a dagger across Trinity's neck, making her cringe. "It's a shame, really, such a talented girl, she was so young and full of life." He said, taking the blade from her throat and trailing it across her bare stomach, leaving a thin line of blood. Ryu growled, a deep, menacing noise before running full-force at Ansem, hitting a barrier before he even came close to the demon. This antic brought forth a laugh from the man, until he took the knife and plunged it into her leg, hitting a main artery. It was over for Trinity, we all knew it, but Ansem was determined to make us and her suffer the most he could before she was gone. "And you know, this is all because she came to me, dead inside because she believed you didn't want her anymore. Yes, she knew what that wretched girl wanted and had read her accounts of things, and it broke her. Now, look what's become of honesty." Ansem sneered before disappearing and leaving Trinity, floating there while drops of her blood dripped down into the already unnaturally red water, and there was nothing we could do but watch. Ryu's never cried as hard as he did that day.

-End flash back-

A few rough weeks later the duo was off to search of a way to seal the darkness for good and bring peace to the worlds. The two thought that their troubles would soon be coming to an end, but that was far from the truth. Sephiroth had been a enemy of Ryu's for quite some time now, as they were both from the same world and Sephiroth ended up surprising the two at Traverse Town before they left for the End of the World. Ryu was injured and supposed to die from a type of poison that was on Sephiroth's blade and Brooke was left in despair as both of her friends were pretty much gone. She decided on revenge, hunting Sephiroth down until she found him at Hallow Bastion. Managing to catch him off guard, she dispatched the man with one blow of Ryu's huge sword. After Sephiroth's eyes had forever closed Brooke researched an antidote to the poison. After many hours of research she figured out how to make the antidote and returned to Ryu. Slowly her silver-haired friend recovered and they were fighting their way towards Kingdom Hearts, to end this once and for all.

This first chapter of the trio turned duo now comes to a close, as Ryu was returned to his home and Brooke was returned to Halloween Town, which she assumed was her home world.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there we go! This was just a over run of mostly characters and major past events, it also introduces most of the conditions of the characters. (Such as Ryu being able to be controlled by Ansem without a single moments notice.) Take note also that, until it is formally announced in the story, when Ansem is spoken of he is to be considered the Heartless Ansem/ Ansem you beat in the first game. This fan fiction is going to mention a lot of things that happened in the past that I'll make sure I've had a flash back for or was wrote out in a previous chapter.

For anyone that's confused about the last sentence and where it mentions Brooke, that will be explained in either the next chapter or the third. As a final note, this is a written and easier to follow form of a RP that is still going. I will have (in the end) many different stories that contain characters introduced in this one, but told from their point of view and follows their particular stories. And if you guys get puzzled about where I'm going with this later on in the story, take into consideration that I kinda don't know myself as there are characters other than the ones I control in the RP and once I catch up I will be writing by ear so it will take much longer, please be patient when this time comes.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, nor do I own any characters mentioned except Brooke, Mika/Blair, Aiko, Kurenai, and the characters that have to do with their childhood/ distant past that are not listed as Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts property. (Family, childhood friends, ect.) The characters other than the previously listed are property of several people of whom I have the consent to use their names and images. I also do not own Tatu or their song Show Me Love.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one, It's you!

* * *

_Believe in U_

_nozomu MONO subete te ni shite mo_

_Still lovin'_

_Can't stop lovin' U_

_NO NO NO..._

_Translation:_

_believe in you_

_even if I gain everything I wanted_

_still lovin'_

_can't stop lovin' U_

_no no no..._

_**(Tattoo Kiss by r.o.r/s**_

* * *

****

"I didn't know that saving the worlds would have such dull but painful result. I don't know exactly how long it's been and I'm too lazy to go back to my entries and look, but I've been having a hard time getting by day to day all by myself with no one I know or want to get to know. It's very dark and gloomy here, a perfect place for the main mansion of the very large Nightblaze family. I've been hiding from them since I ran into one guy, they don't like what we did too much and they've been out to either kill me or lock me since. I still have my gummi ship and it's gotten pretty big, so as soon as I'm able to, if I ever can, I'm getting out of here as fast as I..." A loud boom interrupts Brooke and if followed by a slightly softer thud. "What the hell?"

**Audio Journal of Brooke Nightblaze**

I ran as fast as I could, tripping on my own feet a few times before I saw the charred hole in the ground. I slowed down a few feet away and walked up to it, my brow furrowed and my hand near a dagger I had strapped to my waist. In the center on the hole was a black lump of something or another. I was just at the edge when the lump popped and a hatch opened, revealing the back of whoever or whatever was in the little capsule. I pulled out the dagger and slid into the hole, holding it to the strange person's back. "State your business here." I ordered, poking the tip at their back. "Whoa, oh, yeah, I'm here to find a friend." I blinked, the voice was familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. Pulling the dagger away from his back I waited for him to get out, curious as to who it could be. He stood up, his back still facing me, but never less my eyes widened at his long, silver hair. He whirled around and we both stared at each other in shock until he pointed at me with his mouth wide open, uttering a disbelieving "You?" and I tackled him immediately afterward screaming, "It's you!"

We began catching up and I learned that Ryu had spent our time apart learning about the darkness and researching theoretical ways to defeat it completely, who's been involved with it, and the like. He had really found out allot and we were having a wonderful conversation until he asked what I had been doing. I felt my smile tremble, but I managed to keep it plastered onto my face. What was I supposed to tell him? That there was a really big, really powerful family out to kill me? That I've been living at the graveyard and trying my hardest to stay alive on the "food" they have here which is usually a nasty green slop. "Me? I've been just existing." I said, hey it may be vague, but at least it wasn't a lie. "Fun, fun, this place has always been so gloomy. But I was thinking we could head to Traverse Town, stock up and see if we could give it a shot, defeating the darkness and all." Ryu said and I nodded, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him off to where I had my ship hidden, which was a difficult task due to everything being dead. As soon as I opened the ships living area door a ear-splitting, high pitched scream echoed in the area and immediately Ryu had his huge sword drawn and I had my keyblade in my hand. I nodded pointed to where the scream came from and we took off, running up to a scene of a blonde girl getting attacked by a large horde of heartless that were new to me. They were imp-like and so skinny they seemed anorexic. "Ewww... what are those things and why is it every time I see you I have to rescue someone?" I asked, and Ryu laughed, charging at it and swinging his sword at them. Instead of the usually slice and poof, the creatures dematerialized, particles in the place of the flesh that Ryu was supposed to be cutting through. Ryu frowned, jumping back and I bit my lip as all ten of the creatures were focused on us. "I don't think this'll be too easy." I mumbled, taking note that they could break up and form back together. "Elementum ut gelu totus. glacies!" I pronounced clearly, sending a powerful ice spell at one of the creatures and as it started decomposing itself the particles froze, dropping to the dirt in a shower of ice. "As I thought, physical attacks have no effect, but spells easily wipe them out." I mumbled to Ryu and he nodded, backing off a bit so I could cast the spell in a broader area. "Now lets get rid of the rest of 'em." Were my thoughts as I took a deep breath and began reciting the spell. "A perpes hiberna , gelu ut perussi totus in pervenio permafrost!" As soon as "frost" escaped my lips a gust of freezing, icy wind blew at the nine remaining creatures, freezing their decomposed bodies, making it seem like we were in the middle of a hail storm. I smirked to myself and glanced back at Ryu, who seemed a bit more than a little amazed with how much stronger my spells had gotten. The two of us looked around for the girl that was getting attacked and was glad when we saw a blonde- haired girl step out from behind a dead tree. "Wow... than you so much." She said, waking over and I sung my keyblade over my shoulder before it disappeared, turning into the little charm I always had on one on my belt loops and smiled. "No problem! I'm Brooke." I said before glancing over at Ryu who was staring in no particular direction. "Oh, and I'm Ryu." He said, smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rikku!" The girl chimed happily, smiling brightly. "So what brings great fighters like you two here?" Rikku asked, and I laughed. "Ryu came to find me, we were heading to Traverse Town before we came to help you." "Really! Do you think I could go with!" She exclaimed immediately after I finished. "Yeah sure, just head onto that ship over there," I said, pausing to point "We'll be right with you, but I need to talk to Ryu first." Rikku nodded and walked off to my ship and I turned to Ryu as soon as she was out of ear-shot. "Ryu, what's up with you? You started acting weird all the sudden." I said and he glanced towards me before sighing and looking up at the forever back/ gray sky. "It's those creatures, the nithlings, I know who sent them. He's Phoenix, he had tod me that-"

* * *

_Yay suspense! This was completely written in first person because I only wanted the narration for the prologue since that was a shortened version of one out of four different fanfictions for Brooke. Brooke's spells are different than the games for reasons that will tie into the story line later. Reviews and encouragement are aways nice. w _

_XOXO Machiko. 3_

**Translations: **"Elementum ut gelu totus. glacies!"- "Element that chills all, ice!"

"A perpes hiberna , gelu ut perussi totus in pervenio permafrost!"- "A never ending winter, the cold that consumes all in reach, permafrost!"

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, nor do I own any characters mentioned except Brooke, Mika/Blair, Aiko, Kurenai, and the characters that have to do with their childhood/ distant past that are not listed as Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts property. (Family, childhood friends, ect.) The characters other than the previously listed are property of several people of whom I have the consent to use their names and images. I also do not own r.o.r/s or their song Tattoo Kiss.


End file.
